electric counterpoint

Weekly Twitter Digest for 2010-03-08

Dan — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 04:20:00 +0000

Tonight's Parody band costume theme is hipster. Surveying my wardrobe options has caused me to reevaluate some of the last 5 yrs' decisions. #
Just managed to get tickets to see Thom Yorke's new band on my birthday! Wheeeee! #
Just got my last bill from Harvard. Amount due: $0.01. #
Law school ruins everything — my first thought on seeing this awesome sammich place was "trademark exam hypo": http://j.mp/9OT3kc #
For all the chaff that slips through Pitchfork's filter, they can really lionize the albums that deserve it: http://j.mp/9JzCOB #
Another Tuesday without the new Macbook Pro line announced. C'mon Steve, make it happen. #

Musical signatures

Dan — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 22:19:13 +0000

Something I’ve been thinking about for a few minutes now: musicians’ “signature” elements that could be recognized even if used by others. A few nights ago, a friend and I were playing guitar, and I referred to what I call “the Velvet Underground” riff. It’s most recognizable as the riff from “Here She Comes Now” (starts at about 0:06 in this video), but you can hear it in “Waiting for My Man,” briefly in “European Son,” and slight variations underlie both “I Found a Reason” and “Pale Blue Eyes.” I hope this gives the flavor of what I’m thinking of: instrumental (as opposed to production, vocal, or lyrics-based) commonalities between several of an artist’s songs, that a listener might come to associate unconsciously with that artist’s “sound.” A couple other, famous examples are the Bo Diddley beat and the Hendrix chord. I’m always one for music lists, so let me know if you’ve got any good examples of musical signatures, and I’ll update this post when I think of more.

Weekly Twitter Digest for 2010-03-01

Dan — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 04:20:00 +0000

Hey, anybody interested in going to SXSW? (HLS people, it's over spring break!) #
Liking this Manhattan-Brooklyn shootout. http://is.gd/97ZKB Still can't decide which side I'm on, though I've got a few months. #
Man, why they gotta hate on Star Market? http://is.gd/90tfj #

Weekly Twitter Digest for 2010-02-22

Dan — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 04:20:00 +0000

Musical soft spot: I've never heard a song with a random sample-and-hold filter (e.g. http://is.gd/8U2de) that didn't make me smile. #
Hey, all of James Burke's Connections is on Youtube! Nerding out: http://www.youtube.com/user/JamesBurkeWeb#p/p #
Somewhat unhappy realization: my strongest brand loyalty is unquestionably to Excedrin Migraine. #
Expert Labs is at the precise, Venn-diagram center of all my professional interests. I'm expecting big things: http://is.gd/8C0qW #
This Town Needs Guns is a math rock band without the requisite goofy, math rock song titles. I'm taking a point off for that. **½ #
Cap'n Jazz got back together?! http://is.gd/8xZ7X (recording: http://is.gd/8xZdD) #
Ted Leo always sounds like he'd be such a fun dude to hang out with. http://pitchfork.com/news/37839-5-10-15-20-ted-leo/ #
Scholars: it's 2010, but as far as I can tell no published law review article has yet cited a tweet. You know what to do. #
UK politics > US politics: http://www.mydavidcameron.com/ #

Weekly Twitter Digest for 2010-02-15

Dan — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 04:20:00 +0000

I assure you that this MP3 sampler from [Ann Arbor's own!] Ghostly International is well worth the $0.00 it costs: http://is.gd/8k2CM **** #
Hope Google knows what it's getting into. As far as I can deduce from Twitter, reliably serving tiny text messages is formally impossible. #
Apparently I've been walking around all day with the shoulder of my sweater ripped in the back. Rad. #
How much of a dick move would it be to send somebody a Gmail invite in 2010? Related: I just got one from @tehawesome. Thanks, bud. #
Buzz has made millions of users notice Gmail's left column for the first time in years. Will this finally kill the invite box? #
Never noticed this Belle & Sebastian line before "I love my Brian, my Dennis, and my Al; I could even find it in my heart to love Mike Love" #
Wu Tang-Beatles mashup http://is.gd/7YZXd: Less faithful than the Grey Album, but it samples You Know My Name (Look Up the Number). So, ***½ #
I'm not going to lie to you: bland and decrepit as they were, The Who still has me holed up in my room practicing my Townshend windmill. #

Weekly Twitter Digest for 2010-02-08

Dan — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 04:20:00 +0000

If the America's Team™ pull this off, do all Americans get to add the third syllable when we say "Orleans?" #
Just grabbed the Steve Reich box set from Amazon Marketplace for $5! Thanks, WishRadar! #
Some Klosterman guy reviews some 60s Liverpool band "so obscure that their music isn't even available on iTunes." http://is.gd/7B5YD #
is a bassist again! #
You know they'll spin this as "proven safe, with no side effects!" http://is.gd/7zHfT #

Weekly Twitter Digest for 2010-02-01

Dan — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 04:20:00 +0000

Glenn Beck (!) vs Roscoe Pound (!!) http://is.gd/7sb7S You won't be surprised to learn he's mistaken about how Harvard Law teaches con law. #
.@hlrecord You seen this? From a couple days ago: Glenn Beck vs. Roscoe Pound http://is.gd/7sb7S #
Uncle Tupelo playing "The Weight" live in 1992 — ain't Youtube grand? http://is.gd/7rJvV (Watch, doubters, and see why Tweedy > Farrar) #
Well, that was a fun 43-minute study break: http://www.ultimate-guitar.com/tabs/p/pink_floyd/dark_side_of_the_moon_album_tab.htm #
I guess this is an Established Cultural Fact by now, since it came out four years ago, but: oh my god you guys, Children of Men is good. #
Twenty-four hours ago, I don't think many would have predicted Obama's speech to beat expectations while Steve Jobs' fell short. #
What was the #GOP thinking putting a uniformed member of the service right behind #McDonnell at the Republican response to the SOTU? #
You know what word oughtta come back? "Whence." I'd use the *hell* out of that word. #
?uestlove describes the science of late night walk-on music: http://www.twitlonger.com/show/5553e (see also http://is.gd/71P3A) #

Weekly Twitter Digest for 2010-01-25

Dan — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 04:20:00 +0000

Summer Fences by Castevet is doin' it for me lately. Vocals from 80's DC, guitar from 90's Chicago, rhythm section from daaaaang. ****½ #
New desktop image — suddenly my working environment got 10x badder-ass: http://grab.by/1TzH #rawk #
Well, time to get to work on 2012 (and a real candidate): https://secure.actblue.com/entity/fundraisers/23670 (I've donated; you?) #
Well, at least one part of Coakley's campaign appears to have had some planning behind it: her concession speech. :( :( :( #

Weekly Twitter Digest for 2010-01-18

Dan — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 04:20:00 +0000

Say what you want about the guy, but Rahm Emanuel's a natural man. And by that I mean he's nasty, brutish, and short. #
Never judge an album by its cover. Unless it's post-rock. Then that's pretty much the only way to differentiate 'em. #
Okay, I get the "as distinct from legend, myth or folklore" bit — but this is still my new favorite Wikipedia category: http://is.gd/6mbZw #
I suspect that every torts professor has a voice for reciting J. Cardozo. Like tweed and tenure, it's a nice perk of the job. #
Am I the only one who can't read a Justice Cardozo opinion without hearing it in John Goldberg's voice? @AlSahlstrom @MarkSamburg @CubsMike #
Go ahead, try to find a song that'll put a bigger smile on your face: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G6d_de2as3I ***** #
Poli sci people: is there any reason modern U.S. union leaders *never* run for public office? #
At small sizes, @thecrimson 's Twitter icon looks like a little red Death Star. #
Rites of (musical) passage: realizing just how good the Supremes were. Tiptoeing from the Grateful Dead's studio stuff to their live stuff. #
(He's currently #48 of all 111 Justices to have ever served, and only the fourth longest-serving of the current Nine.) #
The Telegraph calls Clarence Thomas one of the longest-serving Justices ever. http://is.gd/6dH9W.
…Not exactly: http://is.gd/6dH7w #
You know what 90s lofi band has aged well? Boyracer. If they'd started in 05, you'd have never heard of Times New Viking. http://is.gd/66eLN #
Yay, apartment-hunting in Brooklyn. Dorothy charts Craigslist posters' idea of Williamsburg: http://www.verysmallarray.com/?p=945 #
New Vampire Weekend LP drops a day early from @amazonmp3, and it's only $3.99 (no DRM). Amazon, keep doing these sales! http://bit.ly/79q0mJ #

Weekly Twitter Digest for 2010-01-11

Dan — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 04:20:00 +0000

Watching the Star Wars trilogy. Too bad that chubby guy murdered George Lucas with a shovel back in '93. Now I'll never know the back story. #
I don't remember the last time I've felt this bad-ass. (http://www.ultimate-guitar.com/tabs/l/led_zeppelin/dazed_and_confused_ver5_tab.htm) #
After a trim, my barbers always ask whether I want them to style it, but I always say no.
No sense getting my new haircut's hopes up. #
Hey, if the GOP gains seats in 2010, at least it'll vindicate their leadership. That means we'll still have Michael Steele to kick around. #
(This concludes tonight's episode of Isaac Newton Laffs. Try the veal.) #
(Every time I hear the real shoulders-of-giants quote, I think of a tiny Newton perched on Descartes' shoulder. Descartes has an eye patch.) #
(In order for the joke to work, you have to think of hirsute giants, not just, like, humans but bigger. Think "Where the Wild Things Are.") #
"If I have seen fur bared, it is by peering over the shoulders of giants as they browse giant-themed Craigslist personals." – I. Newton #
Chris Dodd's not facing re-election? Maybe — *maybe* — this means he'll push for real financial industry reforms! A guy can dream… #
Wilco's coming to Boston! Two days before my birthday! April 6, lemme know if you're interested. #
The Facebook platform won't achieve its true potential until someone makes a "These Are the Daves I Know" app. http://is.gd/5MBBc #